|
|
 |
MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
|
|
|
Ed Said - Flower Power It seemed a good time to get away for a few days and Christchurch seemed a good place to get away to, primarily to attend the Ellerslie Flower Show.We had been to the first one held at the Ellerslie racecourse in Auckland, attended by thousands in poor weather with facilities inadequate to cope with spectator numbers. However it did get organised in following years but its popularity either outgrew Auckland or was smothered by traffic snarl-ups and became a hazard rather than a showpiece. Moved to Christchurch in 2009 when attendance rose to 75,000 visitors, this venue too has not been without its problems. Only 55,000 came in 2010. The 2011 show was cancelled because of the earthquake and attendances of 45,000 in the past two years put considerable pressure on the organisers to up their game after it was criticised last year for having too few gardens and too much retail. The venue is a large one and, as a consequence it’s easy to navigate. No jostling with crowds but part of the show's problem last year was having the gardens dotted around the show site in too wide a spread. This year the thirty gardens on display were grouped, making it much more pleasant to follow the various sections set out in the programme and creating something of a ‘wow’ factor. While part of the organisers target was reached regarding retail, on entering the complex the first sign we met stated ‘underwear that won’t ride up’. Not exactly gardening material in my mind. This was followed by a row of women’s fashion houses on display. I know the organisers need to fill space, but filling space at any cost is not really the way to go. A whiteware company also occupied a huge area. I’m not sure why anyone would go to a flower show to buy a new fridge or cooktop but, as the company was a major sponsor, my guess is that that was a part of the deal. Aware that this was a flower show as opposed to a garden ramble, there were some wonderful examples of floral artistry of all kinds and using a vast variety of elements from steel, wood to brick, glass and barbed wire to showcase some weird and wonderful landscaping ideas in keeping with modern architecture. Peoples choice though was something of a ‘wilderness’ garden comprising 100 varieties of pink flowers including poppies imported from Europe months ago and kept chilled for the big event. A sight to behold. Gardening appetite satisfied, we left Christchurch with a tailwind expected to reach 120kms/hr but unable to foresee the impending devastation about to be further inflicted on its people. Some residents must be asking ‘when will it end?’ We, in this part of the country, need to count our blessings. Cheers Rob |
|
FOLLOW US  
|
CONTACT US
|